Dragon Clan: I am Lu Mingfei, the Intelligence Strategist, the God of Concepts!

Chapter 122 You are the One and Only Emperor...

Japan, Genji Heavy Industries, 30th floor

Awakening Temple.

Beside the vermilion torii gate, the granite walls are carved with various deities and spirits from Japanese Shintoism, including the solemn Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi, the mighty Susanoo, and the fierce-looking demons.

This is a temple, or rather a shrine. A clear spring flows on the terrace, surrounded by a dry landscape garden composed of white stones and green grass, exuding a sense of tranquility and Zen.

Hidden year-round within a modern steel behemoth, the spacious terrace is barely noticeable from the ground or the sky; only by opening a hidden door can one step into this hidden paradise.

The young female secretary opened the hidden door for Yuan Zhisheng, the current head of the executive bureau, and bowed before leaving.

Genjiro simply completed the necessary 'water purification ritual' before entering the shrine and strode into the main hall.

The main hall is exceptionally spacious, with a huge curtain hanging inside. Under the curtain are eight small tables, each with candles and different long swords. The hilts of the swords are decorated with eight different family crests in gold, symbolizing the eight ancient mixed-race families that have stood strong for thousands of years on this island nation.

The sixteen-petaled chrysanthemum represents the Tachibana family, the gentian represents the Minamoto family, the red oni represents the Inuyama family, the spider represents the Fuuma family, the horse head represents the Ryoma family, the phoenix represents the Sakurai family, and the yaksha represents the Miyamoto family.

A person is kneeling in front of each of the seven small tables, and there is another empty table painted with bamboo and sparrows, representing the Uesugi family.

Some call them the Japanese branch of the Kassel College, but they prefer to call themselves the Snake-Headed Eight Families.

“Chiki has arrived.”

The old man, seated in the center beneath the sixteen-petaled chrysanthemum family crest, greeted Genjiro gently as he entered.

"Little Lord."

At that moment, the people kneeling around the other six tables bowed.

"Dad, everyone, I'm sorry I'm late. I had to handle a task from the Executive Bureau."

Genji bowed in return; he had already changed his clothes, and his kimono and etiquette were impeccable.

"You've worked hard." The old man's smile was warm and encouraging.

The Snake Clan's "Execution Bureau," comparable to the "Execution Department" of Kassel College and similar to the orthodox "Enforcement Team" which is currently undergoing restructuring, aims to handle various dragon-related incidents.

As the youngest director of the Executive Bureau in history and the head of the Minamoto family, Genjiro is destined to take over the baton of power from the current 'patriarch' of the Snake Clan, Tachibana Masamune, and become the next 'patriarch'.

Tachibana Masamune pointed to the ice bucket by the door, which was filled with countless fresh ice cubes and contained several dark black liquor bottles.

"This is a newly delivered Ryusen Ginjo sake, the 14th generation master brewer of Takagi Sake Brewery. It uses a new rice variety called 'Ryuro no Ko'. Please sit down, take a break, moisten your throat, and try it out."

Yuan Zhisheng didn't stand on ceremony; after bowing, he relaxed completely.

He took a bottle of sake from the ice bucket, opened the cap, and took a sip.

He let out a long sigh amidst the burning sensation of the alcohol.

"Dad, you guys have your meeting, I'm listening," Yuan Zhisheng said softly, lighting another cigarette.

He didn't understand why Tachibana Masamune suddenly wanted to hold a meeting; his original plan was to go back and get a good night's sleep.

He was indeed a bit tired today. Recently, the Enforcement Bureau had received a lot of reports related to Dragon Clan activities, which made him, as the director of the Enforcement Bureau, very busy.

Although often, a heavy workload also means great credit.

As for Genjiro himself, he was not really interested in matters of power. He was just bound to this place by his responsibilities. In his spare time, he would relax with cigarettes and alcohol. Any kind of alcohol would do, and the best cigarettes were mild Seven Stars.

"Okay, let's begin."

The other family heads were already used to Yuan Zhisheng's 'arrogance' and didn't say much, because he was the young master, the future of the family with 'royal blood' flowing in his veins.

Tachibana Masamune nodded, not asking anything more of him; the boy was already excellent enough...

"During this period, the orthodox families across the sea have accomplished several major feats." The old man's expression turned serious as he spoke in a deep voice.

"First, in their internal struggle, they discovered and defeated the 'King of the Ocean and Water' who had quietly awakened at some unknown time, and put it back into slumber. It is speculated that this dragon king may be related to the 'Greenland Incident' of the Secret Party back then, but there is no specific evidence yet."

"Secondly, today the orthodox families held a collective meeting for mixed-race forces worldwide to discuss future plans. The Peruvian Party sent...Angers to attend, but the negotiations ultimately failed. If nothing unexpected happens, the Peruvian Party's influence may shrink across the board and withdraw from the relevant areas."

In just two short news items,

A sudden storm seemed to have broken out within the Awakening Temple, and the heads of the Snake Clan made some unusual movements.

Although everyone except Genjiro may have already learned about the relevant information through their respective family channels, hearing Tachibana Masamune retell it again at this moment inevitably stirred their hearts.

"The Secret Service... suffered a setback?"

Yuan Zhisheng stopped smoking and drinking, and froze.

Several years ago, he had been an exchange student at the Kassel College, so he naturally knew what kind of person the college's principal, Hilbert Jean Angers, was.

As the official leader of the Secret Party, this old man was an educator, but he was also an absolute tyrant.

As a member of the Snake-Headed Eight Families, Genjiro was very clear about what happened 63 years ago.

In 1946, Angers arrived in Japan alone and used knives and clubs to flatten the pride of the mixed-race Japanese. The European secret society, like American warships, was deeply rooted in this land. He defeated the Snake-Headed Eight Families with absolute violence, and the Japanese branch of Kassel College was established.

Therefore, in the eyes of international mixed-race individuals, there is no such thing as the Snake-Headed Eight Families in Japan, only Japanese branches. For example, at this orthodox conference, the Snake-Headed Eight Families didn't receive an invitation at all, because they were merely a member of the Secret Party. "If that's the case..."

Yuan Zhisheng murmured to himself, suddenly understanding why such a meeting had been convened.

"This is a good sign, indicating that the Secret Party is no longer the all-powerful force that controls the world. For us, who have long been suppressed by the Secret Party, this may be an opportunity..."

Yuan Zhisheng put down the wine bottle, almost subconsciously considering the news from the perspective of his family.

“That’s right, Ichisuke.”

Tachibana Masamune smiled with satisfaction. "A turbulent period is about to begin, and this is our opportunity. Whether we can break free from the shackles of the Secret Party may depend on this."

"We have far too many secrets that cannot be known to outsiders."

Tachibana Masamune's voice lowered, turning into a soft sigh, "Especially... the secret about 'God'! I have a feeling that we don't have much time left."

Upon hearing the word 'god,' the heads of the Snake Clan instantly became solemn.

To those who are interested, the mixed-race population in Japan has always been a mystery. Because Japan is an island nation with little contact with the outside world in ancient times, the origin of mixed-race people is believed to be only Europe and China. Traditional mixed-race societies do not include Japan, and before the Meiji Restoration, no one had even heard of the name "Hebi-hachi".

But in fact, these eight families have existed for thousands of years, or even millennia.

Their true bloodline originates from the 'White King,' the first primordial species created by the Black King. In the ancient times, he betrayed the Black King Nidhogg and was executed as a dragon king. He possessed the authority of the 'spiritual' element, in addition to 'earth, water, wind, and fire'.

The White King bestowed upon his descendants a powerful bloodline, using the authority of 'spirit' to allow their bloodline to cross the critical blood limit, giving birth to hybrid beings like 'Emperor' who can be described as monsters.

Correspondingly, this created more "demons" with unstable bloodlines who were prone to degenerating into dragons, secretly forming the Fierce Demon Clan, which has been constantly fighting and entangled with the Snake-Headed Eight Families.

According to the Secret Party's standards, almost all members of the Snake Clan are dangerous hybrids and should be isolated and sealed off!

But that's not the point.

The biggest secret is that this great being, who is no different from a god, has not completely died... She may still return and come back to earth!
"Dad, what are you planning to do?"

Yuan Zhisheng suddenly calmed down, frowned and asked, "The Secret Party won't sit idly by and watch us break free from their control. We need to at least produce enough results... Do you mean we should follow the orthodox path and let our strength speak for itself?"

Tachibana Masamune nodded slowly: "Before the secret is exposed, we either need to regain complete independence or bury the secret completely... We must accomplish one of these two things."

"The only way is to take action against 'God' beforehand!"

This was the true purpose of Tachibana Masamune's convening of this meeting.

The head of the Snake Clan hopes to seize this opportunity of great upheaval to sever the curse from the 'god' in one fell swoop!

“Chishin, you are a unique emperor, born to slay dragons. Your bloodline is enough to crush the so-called S-class hybrids… The core figure of the orthodox Zhou family in this dragon-slaying and god-killing event is a young man named Lu Mingfei. He must have relied on the power of the Zhou family’s ancient sword, the Dragon-Slaying Platform, as well as the support of the elites of other families.”

“In the realm of hybrids, the Emperor is the strongest. He cannot be stronger than you. So if you were on that battlefield, you would have been able to defeat the Dragon King as well,” Tachibana Masamune analyzed rationally.

"Dad, you're too optimistic..."

Genji shook his head with a wry smile. He didn't know the strength of the Ocean and the King of Water, but he knew the 'god' who was also a first-generation species.

According to the records of the family priests, the previous emperors may have been ten times more capable than him. Putting aside the exaggeration, he may still be the weakest emperor in history. How could he have accomplished what his ancestors had not?
"Young man, there is no need to belittle yourself."

Tachibana Masamune stared at the murals of the Shinshin-ji Temple, his pupils dark and unfathomable. “With the emergence of the orthodox, the Secret Party will focus more attention on them, and we will have ample room to maneuver… We must consider whether this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You don’t need to worry; this is the age of science, and the power of science will help you.”

however,
The remaining family patriarchs, having finally digested Tachibana Masamune's ideas, began to raise their objections.

“But patriarch, the god… is buried in the burial ground for the gods,” the head of the Miyamoto family said hesitantly.

“We can’t even get to the burial site,” said the head of the Inuyama family.

"The demons will try to stop us. They have always coveted the gods and hope to use the gods' remains to complete their journey to the underworld and achieve evolution," said the head of the Wind Demon Clan.

The Ryoma and Sakurai families shared similar opinions: this matter was too big and too hasty. If it were really that simple, the question of God would have been resolved a thousand years ago.

Genjiro was silent for a moment, then said softly, "This will be a war, and many people will die once it starts."

"Dad, I think you're getting a little too anxious."

The room was completely silent, with only the sound of the wind howling like ghosts.

This time, the patriarch's opinion was unusually unsupported. When peace can still be maintained, people always want to maintain peace.

Six pairs of eyes were fixed on Tachibana Masamune.

a long time,

"Fine, your considerations make sense."

Tachibana Masamune sighed softly, his aged face appearing and disappearing in the candlelight.

"Then be wary of the Fierce Ghosts."

"General, that cunning man will probably not miss this opportunity."

(End of this chapter)